𝗙𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝟮𝟭

《"hello?"》

After a bit of watching YouTube, I start being unable to focus. It's almost 1 am. Spifey is asleep and the others are sucked into the video we're watching. But I can't take my eyes off the door. It's like what I felt last night, the urge to leave the room eating at me. I don't have very good impulse control, so I get up and go to the door. "Zak? Where are you going?" Vurb asks. "Fresh air" I reply, before leaving

I walk down the hall once more, the broken bulb from last night gone, but the feeling still remaining. I walk to the elevator and hesitate, remembering the figure. I slowly press the button, earning a small ding as the elevator opens not very long after. I step inside

The doors close and I immediately get a weird feeling. I would say it's a bad one, but it doesn't feel like I'm in danger. It just feels like something is wrong. I press the button, but for some reason, instead of hitting the ground floor button, I hit the button to go to the very top floor. Floor 21. I acknowledge the fact that no one is probably up there, since this hotel isn't that popular

The elevator stops at the very top and the doors open. I step out. It's a lot darker up here than any other floor. None of the lights have bulbs in them, there are almost unnoticeable cob webs in the corners, and it doesn't look very well-kept in general. The only light source is a window at the very end of the hallway

I walk down the hallway, the floor creaking slightly. I don't know what I'm doing. I feel like I should go back to the room, pack, and never come back to this hotel afterwards. But I don't. I keep walking. I walk more and more and more

Until I'm at the window

I look out the window and down. It's very high up. It makes my heart speed up at how high I am. This can't be safe. Why do none of the other floors have windows? Surely it is dangerous to only have a window on the very top floor. Why would they,, I turn and start walking back to the elevator, finally deciding to go back down

Turn around.

I listen to the abrupt thought, not expecting there to be anything there. I was wrong. At the end of the hallway is a boy looking out the window. I can only see the back of him, though

"Hello?" I call out to him, hesitantly. He turns around, startled, and I get just a glance at his face before the elevator dings and I glance to it, flinching. The doors open, but there's no one in there. I turn back to the boy, but he's gone. I stare blankly, before getting into the elevator, shaken up.

I go back to my floor and stumble back to the room. I open the door and step in. Zelk, and TapL all look at me. "Dude where have you been?!" TapL asks, panicked. "What do you mean?" I ask, confused on why he's so worried "it hasn't been that long"

"Zak, it's been 3 hours"

My eyes widen. What? "Spifey and Vurb went to go look for you after an hour and they couldn't find you anywhere! They asked the desk man if he saw you leave, but he didn't!" He explains. I stand there in shock. I swear to god I was only there for like 8 minutes. 3 hours? There's no way.

"No, there's no way! I was only gone for at most 10 minutes! Is this a prank?" I say, not being able to believe it. "No dude, you were gone for 3 hours. Where were you?" He asks, concerned. "I was on floor 21" I say, trying to remember it correctly. "Floor 21? There are only 20 floors in this hotel, Zak. Are you messing with us? Cause that's not funny. We were actually worried about you" Zelk butts in. My heart practically stops.

Just then, Spifey and Vurb walk in. "Zak!" Spifey says, surprised. "Can you guys go take Zak to your room? I think he needs sleep. He seems shaken up" TapL suggests. "Uh ok" Vurb says, leading me out of the room

When we get there, he drops my hand. I'm dazed. "Zak, what happened? Are you ok?" Spifey asks, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Y-yeah. Yeah. Sorry. I'm just tired" I say, hitting his hand away and walking to my bed, sitting on it. "If you say so, dude. We should go to bed anyways" Spifey says, letting it go